What DO seminarians do during Christmas break?

By: Kevin Lonergan
Seminarian, First Theology

Kevin Lonergan next to Msgr. O'Connor in the back

Exams are finished; papers are written, and the car is facing the gate; but when seminarians arrive home, what do they do to occupy their time? Well, for most seminarians it is often one of the busiest times of the year! In between catching up with friends and family, many seminarians are put to work in their parishes helping to set up for the Christmas masses.

Everyone knows that churches fill up every Christmas season, and so having an extra set of hands around to help is often a great relief for pastors. But it is very important for seminarians to have a restful break and have time to relax before beginning the second semester.

This year I was fortunate enough to be invited by my pastor Msgr. O’Connor and Director of A.C.T.I.O.N. Youth Group Director Ms Debbie Walker to a performance of “The Christmas Miracle” in Lancaster Pennsylvania with the A.C.T.I.O.N youth group of Mahanoy City. There, we saw the Sights and Sounds Production of the birth of Christ in musical form, complete with live animals and special effects. It was a marvelous rendition of the Nativity story.


While staying busy at the parish and catching up with friends it is still crucial for all seminarians to have some good relaxation in order to enter into the second semester refreshed!

It’s Time to Prove I’m Competent!

By: Orlando Aso
Seminarian, Third Theology



It’s twelve noon on Wednesday, the 22nd of December, and exams are thankfully over, the Fall semester has officially ended, and now it’s time to depart from beloved Mother Overbrook for three weeks in order to enjoy Christmas at home with my family in Bethlehem. Christmas break is very much the ideal time to ‘chillax’ (chill out + relax), reconnect with friends, indulge in home-cooked meals, and of course to celebrate the birth of our Lord. But as a Third Theologian at St. Charles Seminary, it is also an important time to prepare for the infamous Competency Exam.



Orlando Aso receiving Candidacy
at St. Charles Seminary November 4, 2010



The Competency Exam is an ‘exciting’ two-day long test which awaits me after Christmas break. It is for all intensive purposes, the Minotaur…the Darth Vader…the Mike Tyson in the room that stands between me and being ordained a deacon and priest. The purpose of the exam is to prove that I have a reasonable understanding of what I have learned about Christ and the Catholic Faith over the past three years and that I am able to apply this knowledge in a PASTORAL way. In other words, the Seminary isn’t simply looking for future priests who can quote from the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas from the top of their heads, translate the New Testament from Greek into English, or be able to recite all liturgical prayers in Latin. While all these abilities are impressive in themselves, the most important things is to determine whether I as a future deacon and priest can use this theological knowledge to help save souls. The bottom line is always about the salvation of souls.

And in order to help the people of God reach heaven, I must be proficient in my knowledge of four major disciplines: Sacred Scripture, Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, and Pastoral Theology. With regard to Sacred Scripture, the great Church Father St. Jerome was fond of saying, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Building upon the foundation of Sacred Scripture, Systematic Theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas attempt to formulate an orderly, rational and coherent account of the Christian faith and beliefs. The Apostles Creed, for example, is a brief and systematic summary of the essential tenets of our Catholic Faith. Moral Theology focuses on how one should live out their faith and covers the areas of virtue, social justice, and medical and sexual ethics. And Pastoral Theology attempts to bring all of these disciplines together in a way that can be applied in a practical way to the everyday life of the people of God, particularly through the preparation of the Sunday homily.

The task of passing this exam may seem daunting, but thankfully, there is also a complementary Study Guide that has been refined, enhanced, and passed down from one generation of Third Theologians to the next. Tradition is a vital part of our Catholic Faith, and fortunately for me, in more ways than one. Merry Christmas!

Inter-Seminary seminar

By: Joseph Ganser
Seminarian, Third Theology

During the fall semester each year the seminarians from St. Charles have a great opportunity. In order to help us apply what we’ve been learning in our theology classes the seminary takes part in an ecumenical discussion group with the divinity schools located in the Philadelphia area. This class is the longest running ecumenical group in the country and this year contains representatives from three seminaries; St. Charles Borromeo, Palmer Theological Seminary (Baptist/ non-denominational), and Lutheran Theological Seminary. The course is open to four men (or women) from each school. This year the Diocese of Allentown has been represented by myself and my classmate, Rick James.

This has been a great class but it is unique. Instead of tests and traditional school work each year we choose some topic relating to the Christian faith. The topic for this year has been Baptism and Life in Christ. Every student in the class writes a paper about this topic and each week as we gather at a different school we read some of the papers to discuss how it relates to our faith tradition and to the ways in which we feel called to serve. During the weekly meetings we also have an opportunity to take part in an ecumenical worship service conducted by the host school and to share a fellowship hour over dinner.

Since the participating schools represent such a wide range of traditions the meetings have been very interesting. While always respectful the class has talked about some controversial topics such as grace, salvation, women’s ordination and church membership. Though there are areas in which we disagree with our brother and sister Christians it has been a wonderful thing to see how much we hold in common. Though not a typical seminary course this seminar has been a blessing in many ways. It allows us to learn more about the traditions of the many Christian traditions and it helps us to understand our own tradition in a deeper way. But most of all it helps us understand the importance of unity for all Christians and gives us a desire to work and to pray towards this end. For anyone interested in ecumenism or about deepening their own faith this class is a wonderful experience that is fondly remembered by all who take it. And hopefully what we learn will continue to form and direct our ministry for years to come.